At 6:45 this morning, reenactors fired a mortar toward Charleston’s Fort Sumter, a symbolic shot that marked the start of the Civil War 150 years ago today. The shot, and others that soon followed, was witnessed by hundreds of people who gathered along Charleston’s waterfront and at various “batteries” surrounding the harbor. The volley was a culmination of events, including a concert under the live oaks of Battery Park and readings of Lincoln’s speeches last night.

Charleston photographer Ben Williams spent yesterday afternoon capturing the scene at Fort Moultrie and Patriots Point, where hundreds of reenactors had set up camps. The mood was somber, a reminder that we must never forget the lessons of the bloodiest war in our nation’s history. If there was a highlight of the events, it was the sight of Union (54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, an African-American unit) and Confederate (Palmetto Battalion) reenactors marching together as one.

To see a gallery of Williams’s photographs click here.